2 Hrs Investigators Recommended For Firing

Two state child-abuse investigators have been recommended for termination -- one because he appears to have lied about work performed, and another because he did not do assigned work, records show.

The investigators are among eight placed on paid leave on Jan. 30, after internal reviews showed that some may have falsified reports or failed to do proper investigations.

Ricardo Francis has been recommended for termination because he failed to investigate a complaint of sexual assault, according to records of the state Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services. The complaint came in on June 3. Francis had done no work on the case when it was reviewed Aug. 23, records show. Even after his workload had been lightened so he could pursue the complaint, he still had not begun the investigation by Nov. 14, records show.

Francis could not be reached for comment Friday.

The other employee recommended for termination, Steve Ellis, recorded in his logs that he had made face-to-face contact with a mother whose child was a possible abuse victim. The mother told HRS officials that she had spoken with Ellis only by phone. In a signed statement, the mother said Ellis told her that if anyone asked, she should say that she saw him in person.

``I can`t make a comment at this time,`` Ellis said Friday.

Both employees will get a chance to present their views and offer additional information during conferences scheduled for next week. The personnel department will forward that information to Floyd Johnson, administrator of Broward County`s HRS district, who will decide whether to proceed with termination, said Andrea Guy, the district`s program manager.

The other six employees have returned from leave and been reassigned to different areas while HRS inspectors complete their investigation of each person`s work.